Tourist Courting

"Yeah, I know," Duane nodded. "She's insecure and has run off more men than you can imagine. When a guy gets serious, she turns into a bitch and tells them to take a hike. She's probably bi-polar, but I can't convince her to do anything about it."

Duane paid for their supper and they went downstairs to enjoy the music and rub elbows with some locals and a few tourists. Callie and Duane both agreed they no longer wanted to discuss the events of their past life, but it was hard not to do. The names of other people who had been a part of their separate lives just seemed to come up with little or no warning.

After a few dances, where they held each other progressively tighter, Duane leaned back to look down at Callie who was chuckling. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about those narrow little streets that run along with that main street out there. You and I are just like a couple of those streets. They follow the curve of the beach and every once in a while there's a cross street connecting them."

"Yeah, I guess we both stayed on our own street, didn't we?"

"Well, yeah. But there were a few times when we stood at one of the cross streets and had a conversation or two. I think you brought me here for dinner once. That must have been the time after Henry died and you were pretty comfortable with Rebecca."

Duane's voice was a little rough when he said, "I never had to think twice to remember the names of your step-children or grandchildren. It might be five years between our conversations, but if you mentioned one name, I knew who you were talking about and which parent that child belonged to."

While they danced and sat to drink another beer, they talked about the few times they had shared a dinner, catching up with what was going on in the other's life and the people around them that each had come to know. Halfway through a slow waltz, Duane nodded to the other side of the dance floor, "You see that guy with the bald head and the big mustache?" When Callie looked where he had indicated and then nodded, Duane said, "He's loved Hilda for more years than I can guess. She probably loves him too, but Hilda would kill me if I told him."

"Why doesn't she want him to know?"

As Duane led Callie off the dance floor and climbed the stairs to walk along the wooden pier, he explained. "Hilda says he's irresponsible, sort of a hippy type. He rides a motorcycle, goes to all the veteran things. I don't know if he's retired military or disabled, but he has enough income that he doesn't have to work. He's almost twenty years older than Hilda is, but he really treated her nice, made her laugh. She looked happy when he was around. I've always liked him. She says she can't stand him, gets angry if she sees him or hears his name. Sally looks just like him."

With the taste of bitterness in her mouth, Callie responded, "Well, as long as she has you, she doesn't need anyone else."

"That's not fair Callie. She's my little sister and you don't know a lot of things about this little town. It's not all sweetness and shiny tourist attractions.

"Before all the hoopla about Spring Breaks started, this beach attracted a rougher crowd. Hilda and her friends would go to the beach and parade around in front of all those young guys with their stiff dicks, raging hormones, and no brains."

As they reached the darkened end of the pier, they sat down on one of the benches and Duane continued with his story. "The summer after she was sixteen Hilda sort of turned into a tearful, critical, angry person. Our mother died that year and I guess we all thought that was the reason for the change in Hilda. It was several years later when she admitted, that she and a couple of her friends had paraded up and down the beach one night, drinking beer. Before the night was over, she probably fucked half the guys on the beach. I don't imagine it was really rape, but it probably wasn't far from it."

Unable to resist the reminiscing they were doing, Callie spoke barely above a whisper, "We didn't have that problem, did we."

Duane turned and put his arms around her, "God no, oh Lord, you were beautiful when you were sixteen. I've never wanted anyone as much as I wanted you that summer." He paused for a moment to kiss her and held her face up to his so he could look into her eyes, "Callie, I want you as much now as I did when I was seventeen. I think I've always wanted you like that."

Suddenly Callie caught her breath as Duane stood and pulled her hand until she almost had to run to stay up with him. "Come on," he encouraged.

"Where?"

"I've had just enough beer to do something dumb and enjoy it."

"What are you talking about, Duane?"

"Let's go for a walk on the beach and see if we can find a quiet place where we can go for a swim."

He sat down on the side of the pier and jumped off into the sand below. Then he held his arms up to help her down when she sat on the side of the pier. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her down beside him, kissing her hard when her feet were finally on the sand. They stopped only long enough to remove their shoes and then were running down the beach until they were both out of breath.

Panting, Callie complained, "We don't have swimsuits."

"We don't need them," he answered as he turned and pulled her blouse over her head and started unbuttoning her skirt. She was just as busy unbuttoning his shirt and reaching for his belt buckle. Like a couple of kids, they barely stopped to remove their underwear and were soon holding hands and jumping over the first few waves racing to spread across the flat sand.

Duane stopped Callie and turned her to face him. "How many years has it been since I held you in the moonlight and told you how beautiful you are?"

Then they were holding each other and kissing with a hunger neither knew how to express any other way. They slowly moved to deeper water. When they had passed the rougher surf, they were chest deep in the buoyant, salty water. Duane held Callie as she put her legs around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Callie, Callie, look at me," Duane pleaded as he allowed her body to slip a little lower. She felt the head of his cock pressing against her. "Tell me if you don't want this."

Instead of an answer, Callie loosened her grip on him and watched his face while she allowed her body to fall as he entered her.

"Oh God, oh God. Callie, don't move. Please don't move." Duane pleaded tightening his arms around her as he felt the heat inside her.

"Kiss me, Duane. Just kiss me. I've waited too long to feel this good." Callie trembled and held him, afraid the wonderful feelings would end too soon.

"Merciful heaven, all the wasted years, what have we done to ourselves? Why did I ever let you go?"

"We didn't know, Duane. We just didn't know. Maybe it took us this long to learn that."

Duane chuckled as he began to soften inside her, "We need to get out of this water."

"I know, I'm freezing," her teeth weren't chattering but she was beginning to feel cold. Carrying Callie, her limbs still wrapped around him, he started moving to the shore.

"Just put your blouse on. We can walk up the beach until we're across from the driveway."

They had to wait a few minutes until they didn't see any headlights coming from either direction. Then they giggled as they ran across the street, teasing each other about being caught almost naked. Her son's vehicle was parked beside her own, and two vehicles were in the next parking places, which meant the girl's husbands and children had arrived, too. Lights were on in some rooms across the driveway and others were dark, but most of the parking spots were full.

Duane was reaching for her as she was closing the door behind them, but she backed away, telling him to go take a shower. She wasn't going to let him in her clean bed with salt water all over him.

She stopped him from turning on the light because if any of the grandchildren knew she was in her room, they would be pleading to come see Granny. Instead, he did as she said and then watched her as she took her shower, although it was so dark he complained that he wished he had more light than the few feeble lights along the street.

As Duane was drying off, he fussed, "Why didn't you leave a light on before we went to eat."

"Well, dammit, Duane," she responded as she reached over and pinched his ass. "Maybe I didn't know I'd need to hide that I had a man in my room tonight."

He dropped his towel and stalked her across the room, "You're going to have a man in your bed in about ten seconds. I'll invite any of them to watch, but they had better not try to stop me. I've waited too damn many years for this."

She evaded one of his attempts to grab her and taunted him, "What's Hilda going to say when you don't come home tonight."

"Fuck Hilda," he responded.

"I'm not interested in doing that to Hilda," she teased back.

Duane stopped and stood very still for a long moment. "Callie, I don't want to fuck you either. I want to make love to you. Come here."

Callie dropped the towel she had wrapped around herself and walked straight into his arms.

Duane put his hand on the back of Callie's head and held her close.

"Duane, I think I'm as nervous as I was that night when we took a blanket to the sand dunes."

When Duane chuckled, Callie felt the rumble in his chest. If she could admit to being nervous, he could as well. "I may know more about pleasing a woman than I did then, but I've never been with one who meant as much to me as you do."

Duane took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something I've never said to another woman. Callie, I love you."

"Oh God, Duane, I've always loved you, I'm sorry it took me so long to learn that."

* * *

Duane was sitting at the small table in Callie's room, still eating his bacon and eggs, when someone knocked on the door. Callie figured it was one of her children or grandchildren and was mentally planning on what she would say about Duane being in her room wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and his shirt from the previous night.

Callie had a cup of coffee in her hand when she opened the door and began to back up as Hilda pushed against the door and walked inside. "I might have known."

Callie was not prepared for the woman's anger. "What should you have known?"

Hilda's voice was venomous when she said, "Oh, I know who you are. Every other time you come here, there's a different man's name on your check."

"Yes, you're right. Not that it's any of your business, but I divorced the first one and my other two husbands died."

The look of disbelief on Hilda's face said more than her words, "You didn't manage to take him away before. Do you think you can have him this time?"

Duane's gruff voice tried to stop his sister's insults, "Hilda..."

Callie looked back at Duane and then at the sour-faced woman, "Oh, Hilda just doesn't want me around. She made that perfectly clear when she was ten years old and insisted on walking between us every chance she got."

Hilda's raised voice was almost a shout, "He's my brother. You don't deserve him."

Callie was hurt by the woman's anger and didn't watch her words when she turned to Duane, "Is Sally really just your niece, or is she your daughter, too?"

"Callie!" Duane spoke her name as if it was a warning not to say anything else to make matters worse.

Callie's laughter did not have a trace of humor in it, "She doesn't care what you want, Duane."

"Maybe not," Duane responded, "but I want you."

Callie felt tears filling her eyes and instead of showing that Hilda's words bothered her, she turned to Duane, "She just won't let go of you, but I can. I've done it before."

Callie spun on her heel and walked out the room. She could drink her coffee in Sally's unofficial playroom and leave the brother and sister to settle their differences.

Callie walked straight to a cousin who was sitting in one of the lawn chairs with his morning coffee and a pack of cigarettes. Without even asking, she reached down and pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit it, then walked out the back opening into the morning sunshine. She hadn't had a cigarette in more than ten years, but it felt good to be holding one in her hand.

You know what, Bob," Callie didn't even turn around when she spoke to her cousin. "We should find somewhere else for these reunions. I'm tired of this place."

"Did you get married again, Callie?"

"No Bob, I don't think I'll ever want another man. Maybe I'll try women for a change."

Callie felt hands on her shoulders turning her around and strong arms holding her when Duane said, "No Callie, you're too exciting to be wasted on women. I'd rather keep you to myself." He held her while she sobbed, and then dried her tears and asked her to introduce him to her grandchildren. He was thinking about asking them to call him Grandpa.

*****

A very heart-felt Thank You to ErikThread. His help, suggestions, and corrections, make my story a better read for you.

2Xwidderwoman